Kit and the water elemental both take aim at the large fire elemental. Kit unleashes a blast of frost from his fingertips, uttering something in an arcane tongue.
"Someone grapple that hag!" shouts the Qadiran, at a bit of a loss as to how to deal with their main adversary.
Another blow from the water elemental weakens its fiery counterpart. One last devastating blow from Wulf with his magic quarterstaff finally quenches the elemental's cohesion, and it collapses to the soil in a shower of harmless sparks and embers.
Teasel aids Helgrim and Tarson in ridding the farm of the remaining, small elementals.
Only the hag remains.
"Why would you deny a mother her children?" she crows in a voice that crackles like firewood. "You are a fiend, and I beg the Dead Moon to curse you!"
Wulf continues forward looking at the Hag. " You say they are your children yet you leave them to be raised by thier father, and then turn them over to be used and abused before you take them back! You no nothing of being a parent! YOU KNOW NOTHING!!!!" Wulf roars as he closes the Gao and strikes the hag.
[Ooc]gonna use reliable strike to reroll that 1 roll[/dice]
Freyja moves around to potentially flank with Wulf and strikes at the hag.
The water elemental slides towards the hag, but both he and his summoner are unable to land hits upon the foe.
However, a pair of deft strikes from Wulf's quarterstaff and Freyja's sword bring the hag low. She dies, heaping impotent curses upon you.
You have saved the farm and the changeling girls.
Freyja breathing hard states By the gods of the north, that was worthy of a song. She bends to make sure the hag is truly dead before checking its body for useful thing and further clues.
"I need a nap, and maybe some extra hands" he says as he makes his way towards the house. " Its clear, the hag is dead. Are you guys alright?" Wulf calls out to the girls inside. He really was beginning to feel older then he was.
"We'd better go in there," says Qitaba. He speaks to the water elemental quietly in Aquan, directing it to soak any remaining smoldering areas.
"Oh, thank the gods!" one of the girls calls out in relief from within the barricaded farmhouse, realizing that not only have you returned but you've defeated the hag and her besieging minions.
You can hear some grunting and struggling sounds as they move aside the furniture they heaped as a final bastion against the creature that was apparently the wicked and unwelcome mother of at least two of the girls. They emerge from the house. Olga and Izbeth look quite aghast at the carnage that has unfolded upon the farmstead, and they struggle to maintain their composure. Solana remains more stoic, but even she appears haunted by the scene around her.
"Wulf, I can go back into town to hire a few people to help clean this up. And if I can bring back Payday on a hook, even better."
Qitaba's face passes from mournful sympathy for the girls to angry determination. "Helgrim, perhaps you could accompany me."
Having not met the girls before Freyja stays back for a moment to let Wulf greet and comfort the girls.
Wulf smiles broadly as he hears then sees the women. " You are all okay. That is wonderful, praise the God's you are alright." Wulf stands and goes to hug each of them as he ignores everything else around.
"None of you are hurt are you? Cause if you are I have some people who helped me that I think can help with that. If nit that is even better!" He laughs then coughs.
"I'm fine just a little smoke." He says as he doesn't want the girls to worry. " Good news is you all get to determine your futures! No Hags corrupting you for thier gain! You all can live lives you want. Even if it is pursuing Magic or whatnot." The last was a nod to Solana. She was the stubborn one, but also one he saw as wanting to capitalize on this whole ordeal.
" As for the Farm, I can rebuild. I know some will help me. Others will try and stop it, but I'll meet it with my stubborn determination." He looks back to Quitaba. " Yeah Q, not too many, Well need some rest before we start rebuilding tomorrow. Just make sure the fires are dead and see if anything is salvageable"
"Well, well, well. What a grim sight indeed."
The gravely voice pierces the night, and the bucket brigade attending the farmstead parts to allow the owner to saunter forth: Gavel Kreed.
The tyrant of Falcon's Hollow stops at the fence, claps his heavy hands upon the wooden rail, and surveys the scene in the yard.
"It seems that source of our woes is here among us," Kreed calls out to the crowd, representing a sizeable portion of the logging town's population. "Wulf and his band of foreigners and half-breeds have been consorting with hags and their wicked offspring! He has offered his own farm as their playground, to work their fiery foulness!
"In my role as protector of Falcon's Hollow, I tried to warn you all! The harpies and hags began plaguing our town not long after this unseemly group arrived! Now here is the very proof before your very eyes!"
With much of the town gathered around Wulf's farm, the vile lumber boss attempts to lay the blame for all this at your very feet!
"People of Falcon's Hollow, firstly, thank you for helping to put out this fire and save these girls, while that worm Payday, Kreed's sniveling sidekick, refused to act. Secondly, Kreed, speaking of proof, we found your coin among the hags and harpies. Newly minted coin; you folk know the freshest coins come here to the frontier. And with sawdust in its ridges, taken from loggers. Kreed has been consorting with hags, setting them up as agents within this town, and paying them to harass the Diamond Company."
Qitaba crosses his arms. "I'm happy to have a numismatist inspect the coin. You do like proof, yes, Kreed?"
And the harpies we fought confirmed this as well. Freyja adds. You all know Sir Wulf. You know his heart and his character. He is one of you. Consider for a moment who is more likely to lie and mislead you, your friend and neighbor or the slaver driver foreman sent here to abuse the town and harvest it's resources for profit, Gavel Kreed.
Wulf let's the others speak and he stands looking at Kreed and gives him a respectful nod. " I apologize for not being able to welcome you Mayor Kreed, but as you can see I had a fire."
Wulf then looks to the crowd, then to Kreed "I would love to offer you tea or a stiff drink but unfortunately I can not. Now if you wish to go over these issues at a later date. I will listen. Right now though I have to begin rebuilding" this is all Wulf says. He was never a fan of Kreed,but he was the mayor and paid him the nessecary respect.
Kit and Freyja's words are bolstered by deeds. As they point out, you have organized the locals into a bucket brigade whilst the Consortium men were content to sit back and let the surrounding farms burn. What's more, they ensure that the assembled crowd recognizes that, rather than consorting with the hag, Wulf and company put her down to end her malice.
The accusations turned back upon him elicit a very brief look of anxiety upon the lumber boss.
"You'd best watch your tongue, boy," Gavel Kreed spits back at Kit. He also sneers at Freyja and Wulf. "Maybe you should take this as a sign from the gods that Falcon's Hollow ain't no place for you. Awfully dangerous, isn't it?" he says with a wolfish grin.
"Falcon's Hollow, dangerous? That makes your mayor a rather poor protector, then, doesn't it? Failing at his duty," says Qitaba with a smile to the assembled townsfolk, turning away from Kreed.
He steps near Wulf and surveys the damage, then looks over his shoulder. "We'll see you later, Kreed. We have a job to do here. Go and pretend to do yours somewhere else."
" You forget I was born and Raised here. I have only left once and it was to serve Andor, our country, I came back and built this farm in a community I love." Wulf speaks loudly and passionately.
" I will rebuild. I'll so seeds, reclaim or purchase livestock, and repair the parts and pieces I can. While doing that I'll help my neighbors in anyway I can. I'll help my community in any way I can, and yes Even You Mayor Kreed, should you find yourself in a bind, I'd help you too with food, water even a bed." Wulf said in a genuine tone. He meant every word he said, he would help the mayor if something like this happened to him and his kin.
" I do appreciate you coming down here Mr.Mayor. I assume it was either to help or to direct your men in to helping as I know you are a busy man. I am ashamed I can not offer you so tea or coffee, but I do appreciate your concern for me and mine" Wulf said as he began to move about and assess the scene more throughoughly
Sensing the crowd turning against him - worse still, sensing that they do not rightly fear him - Gavel Kreed and his small coterie remove themselves from the scene. They move to return to Falcon's Hollow proper, presumably to withdraw into Kreed's fortress-like manor.
Meanwhile, many of the residents who arrived to combat the flames now have burning questions. Sheriff Baleson and his deputies, Lady Cirthana, Brickasnurd Hildrinsocks of the general store, Magistrate Harg, and your old friends Naomi, Boggel, and Liam - they all ask for more details about the connections you discovered between Kreed and the harpies and hags.
There is an undercurrent of excitement as they recognize that you may have the metaphorical silver arrow that could finally bring down Kreed's empire of tyranny.
Wulf begins to tell the tale, as he takes off his breastplate a d begins to do some work on his farm. Checking things and what not. He is concerned about how he'll get through the winter and whether or not he can till the land and get more of the crops in.
Kit is happy to show the Sheriff and deputy the coin they discovered, and lays out his speculations about the interaction between Kreed's men and the hags (and harpies).
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Magistrate Harg furiously scribbles down every detail that Wulf recounts. Deputy Splint hurries off to fetch Commander Odeber, certain that no matter her condition, she'll want to be privy to this important development, this damning evidence against Kreed and the Consortium.
The slain ash hag claimed to be the mother of the changelings Izbeth and Olga. Thus, Solana quietly approaches Wulf and company and, with her normal stoicism slipping away and revealing her trepidation, she asks whether the party also slew her hag mother.
Wulf looks to Solana. His face hard but with bits of softness still on his ash covered face. " We did. I know not which one, but we did. I know losing someone is hard. Even those you are tentatively tied too. Just remember what you do know and we're you go from here keeps a small part of them alive. Do what you will with that bit of knowledge. Personally I believe you'll bless this world in ways your mother never dared think of! Just remember she may have birthed you, but you ultimately were raised by different parents ones who cared for you and wanted the best for you. If not I want the best for you." He smiled as he offered to console her. Even though he was soot stained and still damp.
" I could take a nice long bath and a good meal. Well at least a bucket dunk and then maybe a rest" Wulf says really hoping to get this all done with so he can figure out how to rebuild.
Qitaba finishes his deposition and sees the girls looking long-faced. He comes over and kneels down and sighs.
"I am truly sorry, girls. This world is unfair. In a fair world we could reason with hags, and they could change. However, this is next to impossible--evil creatures almost never change. But you, all of you, you have a choice. You do not have to follow your mothers' paths. That is a small light of hope in a darkened world."
"You need not worry. I mourn her not," Solana assures you. "She may have birthed me, but she was hardly my mother. Her death brings no change to my life."
She pauses, then corrects herself.
"Actually...if anything, her demise may have improved my life. I will never again feel her stalking me, like a wolf stalking an elk. My dreams will never again be polluted by her eyes. I...I think this feeling is what they call freedom."
...
After a good night's rest, the girls volunteer to help begin the arduous task of cleaning the farmstead after the ash hag's attack. Izbeth and Olga talk about how eager they are to soon return to their own families, at Gold Falls and Dustpawn, respectively. Solana, meanwhile, envies them, never having much of a family to begin with, and certainly not willing to return to the "father" who sold her to Bloodeye.
As the morning wears on, neighbors from Falcon's Hollow and the environs arrive, one after another. Some bring baskets of rolls or breakfast cakes. Others offer to help fetch buckets of water. A good number of loggers also arrive to offer their thick arms and sturdy backs to help with the cleanup.
"All work around the camps has stopped," one of them reports. "If they're not going to pay us even the usual pittance, we ain't swinging one more axe. Figure, if we're going to work for free anywhere, better to do it here."
Another also laughs, saying they don't want to get in the way of that army commander and her soldiers who're tearing through the Consortium offices and camps, scouring the places for evidence.
"I hear a whole company is heading up from Adamas, and when they arrive, they're going to storm Kreed's manor like it were a Chelish fortress."
" I myself have never had to face something like that, but I think Solana you'll do just fine. Though my farm is a bit in disarray you can stay as long as you like. I won't force you to help me if he don't want. But the roof is still good and strong and your willing to dwell under it. No rush" Wulf offers the young woman with a smile. It was true all three of the woman could stay he didn't mind. They were welcome. Though like he said his farm wasn't in the best of shape he would rebuild and offer what he can to them, for as long as they wanted.
In the morning he gets up and begins to do more work. Much of it fixing the areas on the house and barn that were singed. When the loggers came he nodded and guided them into tasks. When they spoke of a siege he shook his head.
" Don't joke about such things. Kreeds place needn't be taken like that. It just isn't a smart nor sound idea. A simple infiltration is what is needed if he wishes to stay dug in like a tick. A small bit of heat and salve will get it off with no fear of killing nor popping the Tick." Wulf works a bit kore then sighs.
" But if they be serious then I should mayhap check in with the soldiers." Wulf finally pulls himself free and begins to pul back on his shirt and armor. After that he dons his weapon belt, quiver and takes up that fancy new staff
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Speaking with the loggers, you also learn that Freyja's father, Stason Van Dorning, as well as Tarson have been speaking with Commander Odeber. While Kreed might be able to use his authority to cast doubt upon your accounting of matters, a Taldan noble and a member of Abadar's clergy bring additional credibility by corroborating your testimony.
Among the long-suffering people of Falcon's Hollow, there seems to be a consensus that Kreed's days are numbered.
His reign over the town is fast coming to an end.
Qitaba slides a glance over to Freyja.
"Ah, Wulf. We've been on the road, and we may be again. But...ah...I'd just as soon help you rebuild here--maybe build out a bit...and stay here, if you'd like. We'll pay with labor and coin. Er, if that works for you, Freyja."
He waggles his fingers. "I could learn the spell for invisibility easily enough. If we were to decide to infiltrate."
The story of this place is not yet done. I would not leave it incomplete. Frejya says with a smile back at Qitaba.
"I could stick around a bit...oof, but I'll have to import a few spices. These Taldans think it ends with salt and oregano," says Qitaba, echoing the smile.
Falcon's Hollow was founded as the third of the Lumber Consortium's logging towns, after Falconridge and Northsap, used as bases for their operations to hack away at the receding borders of Darkmoon Wood. Thanks to your efforts, it will be the last.
Within a fortnight of the fiery battle at Wulf's farm, a full detachment of the Diamond Regiment arrives from Adamas. Placed under Commander Odeber's command, they are permanently stationed in Falcon's Hollow. Their officers begin overseeing the cutyards, lumber mill, and logging camps as the Consortium is relieved of the day-to-day operations during the investigation. However, this move makes it clear to locals that the Consortium's fate is sealed: their contract with the nation will be dissolved, if the company is even allowed to continue existing, and the logging industry will be nationalized to better balance the lumber needs of the navy and the rights of the workers.
...
Commander Odeber volunteers small squads of her soldiers to escort Izbeth and Olga to their homes upriver. Meanwhile, Solana overcomes her anxiety and asks Wulf if she can stay and help on his farm permanently.
When locals renew their calls for electing Falcon's Hollow's first ever mayor, no longer fearful of reprisal or interference from Gavel Kreed, almost unanimously they name Wulf as a prime candidate. Beyond local residents, even Commander Odeber pays a visit to his farm to discuss the matter, offering the Diamond Regiment's endorsement.
Meanwhile, upon learning of his past work with caravans, Commander Odeber approaches Qitaba, mentioning that they are looking for civilian candidates to take over the supervision of the logging activities - particularly ones who have proven sympathetic to the needs of the long-suffering workers.
Stason Van Dorning settles in for at least a brief respite from his travels, staying in Falcon's Hollow and Andoran at least long enough to catch up with Freyja and swap stories with his long-lost child.
...
With the People's Revolt, Andoran had thrown off the tyranny of Cheliax and the aristocracy. Thanks to the revolution you have led in Falcon's Hollow, the nation has also begun to break free from the tyranny of a business monopoly that had long gripped the rare democracy by the throat.
Perhaps your deeds have not shaken to world to its core, but to the people of Falcon's Hollow, you are unquestionably heroes.
Qitaba discusses with Odeber in serious tones. Forest conservation, select cutting, and replanting, and working with the fey, these are how the Qadirans have preserved or restored forests in some of the satrapy. There's too much sawdust in the river, he points out, and it's affecting river life.
He also pays a messenger to deliver a little something to Blueberry Melisander--flowers and a note: It appears I'll be in Falcon's Hollow for some time to help heal the woods and the river. I was wondering if you'd like to join me for cinnamon flapjacks at Jak 'a' Napes. Warmly, Qitaba Al-Gurati.
He shoves a sheaf of botanical scrolls under his arm--"Sarenrae, this should have been Teasel's job," he grumbles, and heads off to talk with the loggers about such arcane ideas as "food forests" and "mycorrhizae", looking up at the Five Kings Range in the hazy distance. "Those mountains look just a bit like home," he murmurs, heading to the Cutyard, "Just a bit like home indeed."